VANCOUVER – Actor Randy Quaid on Thursday accused a network of Hollywood lawyers and business managers of conspiring to steal money and royalties from him by sabotaging his career, orchestrating "false arrests" and even plotting to have him killed.
"I’m being embezzled by this monstrous ring of accountants, estate planners and lawyers who are mercilessly slandering me and trying to kill my career and, I believe, murder me in order to gain control of my royalties," Quaid said in a statement following a short hearing before the Immigration and Refugee Board in Vancouver.
Quaid insisted that neither he nor his wife of 20 years, Evi, are criminals.
"We are not criminals, nor are we fugitives from justice, nor are we crazy," he said.
"We are simply artists and filmmakers who are being racketeered on."
Quaid, dressed in a dark suit and blue tie, became emotional before a bevy of television cameras when he spoke of eight personal friends, who, he claims, have died "suddenly and mysteriously" at the hands of celebrity killers – or "star whackers," as he’s called them.
He cited actors Heath Ledger, David Carradine and Chris Penn among them, but didn’t offer any evidence to back up his claims.
"I believe these actors were whacked," he said.
Quaid said he believes other celebrities who’ve faced hard times, including Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan and Mel Gibson, are "being played" to get at their money.
"Do you understand how paranoid and delusional your client sounds?" a television reporter asked Quaid’s lawyer, Catherine Sas, who was standing next to him as he delivered his statements.
"I’m not going to comment," Sas answered.
Quaid will have to wait until next month to find out whether he can stay in Canada; an admissibility hearing before the Immigration and Refugee Board on Thursday was carried over until Nov. 8, to allow Quaid’s lawyer time to prepare.
The Quaids have become the butt of late-night TV jokes since first telling a board hearing last week that they were seeking asylum in Canada to escape a shadowy group of assassins they say has been killing Hollywood celebrities.
But Sas said that Quaid, who was released from federal custody Wednesday after posting a $10,000 bond, might abandon his refugee claim. She said they were exploring other options that would allow Quaid to remain in Canada, including applying for work permits or permanent residence status.
Evi Quaid, who was also released Wednesday, no longer has to seek refugee status after the federal government determined she has a claim to Canadian citizenship through her father.
It was not immediately clear whether that could mean Evi Quaid could sponsor her husband.
The couple was arrested in Vancouver on Oct. 21 based on outstanding warrants in the U.S.
Bench warrants were issued for the couple when they failed to appear in a California court to answer to felony vandalism and misdemeanour trespass charges. They are accused of causing more than $5,000 in damage at a home they once owned.
Quaid denies the charges.
Asked whether the Quaids will appear in California next week for a scheduled court date on the criminal charges, Sas said they will do whatever is legally required of them.
She acknowledged that if Quaid were to return to the U.S. that would mean abandoning his refugee claim.
The Oscar-nominated Quaid is perhaps best known for his role as Cousin Eddie in National Lampoon’s Vacation movies, but he has also appeared in such films as Brokeback Mountain, Kingpin and Independence Day.
Quaid, who said he has been involved in many productions in Canada, said he is anxious to return to acting.
"I would like to announce my availability and desire to do so immediately – legally of course."
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